The family of Arnold and Joanne De Jong addressed the court in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday, delivering heart-wrenching victim impact statements after three men were found guilty of first-degree murder in the couple's deaths earlier this month.
Discovery of the Crime
Raymond Hoogland, son-in-law of the victims, recounted the horrifying moment he discovered Joanne De Jong dead in her bed on May 9, 2022, after being asked by his wife to check on her parents. He described feeling "broken beyond repair" and knowing that the news would devastate his wife and her family. Later, police found Arnold De Jong also deceased in the home.
“What I knew at that very moment was going to destroy my wife, Heather,” Hoogland said in a strong voice. “It was going to destroy her sisters and so many other family members and friends. Making that phone call was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.”
Equally painful, he said, was listening to his wife tell their two young sons that “Grandpa Arnie and Grandma Jo were dead.”
Victim Impact Statements
In a series of 21 wrenching victim impact statements, members of the De Jong family, including the couple's three daughters, their husbands, and a young granddaughter, spoke about their loss. The statements highlighted the profound impact of the murders on the family.
Heather Hoogland, the couple's daughter, shared that she still has several voicemail messages from her parents and refuses to upgrade her phone for fear of losing them. “To never hear my mom’s voice or laughter … or my dad’s voice requesting tech support at 11pm at night,” she said. She added that her sons do not know the details of how their grandparents died, “or the evil way that these cowards came into my parents’ home and decided to take their lives.”
Legal Proceedings
The family had expected to hear Supreme Court Justice Brenda Brown sentence the three men—Abhijeet Singh, Khushveer Toor, and Gurkaran Singh—who were found guilty of first-degree murder earlier this month. However, a constitutional challenge by one of the defence lawyers related to the faint-hope clause must be heard first.
First-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of full parole for 25 years. Last year, in response to a constitutional challenge, a Nanaimo judge restored the faint-hope clause for those convicted of first-degree murder, giving them the right to apply for a review of parole eligibility after 15 years. Those convicted of multiple murders remain ineligible.
The Murders
Arnold De Jong, 77, died of asphyxiation after his head was wrapped in duct tape. Joanne De Jong, 76, died of sharp and blunt force trauma after being beaten with a bat and having her throat likely slashed with a screwdriver. The three men lived together; Gurkaran Singh was an international student from India, and Abhijeet Singh owned a Surrey cleaning company that had recently cleaned the roof and gutters at the couple's home.
